Michelle Obama: Tackling Childhood Obesity
For those of you who listened to President Obama’s State of the Union address on January 27th, you likely heard him introduce his wife’s initiative to tackle childhood obesity.
Interestingly, she received some criticism for sharing her own family’s story and making explicit reference to her daughter’s weight. Many eating disorder experts fear that her blatant discussion about their weight is a set-up for disordered eating and preoccupation with their weight. I have to admit, as a nutrition therapist who specialize in counseling people with eating disorders here in Cambridge, I was unhappy to hear her reference her daughters’ weight on national TV.
Despite this criticism, I felt hopeful and excited while watching her YouTube video which unveils her project “Let’s Move.” I’m thrilled at the prospect of nationally prioritizing our children’s eating and exercise habits. Creating healthy kids is essential for the success and health or our nation’s future.
Check out her website Let’s Move and watch her video clip. Makes me wonder what we can all be doing at a community level to help support this initiative. What do you think?